Search location by ZIP code

NEWS ARCHIVE

Here's what's lurking in pool water

Mishandling of chemicals at public and residential swimming pools leads to 3,000 to 5,000 visits to emergency rooms each year

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 4:44 PM EDT Jun 28, 2017

Here's what's lurking in pool water

Mishandling of chemicals at public and residential swimming pools leads to 3,000 to 5,000 visits to emergency rooms each year

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 4:44 PM EDT Jun 28, 2017

Here's what's lurking in pool water

Mishandling of chemicals at public and residential swimming pools leads to 3,000 to 5,000 visits to emergency rooms each year

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 4:44 PM EDT Jun 28, 2017

Germaphobes now have scientific evidence to back up their swimming pool concerns, with more and more studies showing that chemicals and parasites send thousands of swimmers to the doctor every year.

Mishandling of chemicals at public and residential swimming pools, as well as hot tubs and spas, leads to 3,000 to 5,000 visits to emergency departments in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Almost half of the patients are under 18.

Advertisement

Related Content

As recently as Monday, five Florida children were hospitalized after being exposed to 2.5 gallons of chlorine gas during swimming lessons, according to fire officials. The owner of Calypso Pool in Tampa told authorities that a thunderstorm shut down a pump breaker, causing a mix of chlorine and muriatic acid to build up inside a pipe. The chemicals remained in the pipe until the breaker was repaired. When the pump restarted, it released a cloud of chlorine gas. The children were hospitalized for stomach pain and nausea.

Touching or breathing chlorine gas can harm the eyes, throat, and lungs. The most common swimming pool injuries in the U.S. involve poisoning, including inhalation of vapor, fumes, or gases, according to the CDC.

Body wastes are also not as harmless as they seem and can trigger their own chemical reactions. When urine and chlorine are in contact with each other, they create toxic chemical byproducts called cyanogen chloride and trichloramine, a study found. These chemicals can damage the central nervous system, lungs and heart. And some pee in your pool water is practically unavoidable since the average public swimming pool contains 75 liters of urine, according to research from the University of Alberta.

Another common cause of illness at public swimming pools comes from a parasite that is transmitted through human feces. Last year, the CDC reported 32 outbreaks of Crypto, a parasitic infection that spreads through the stool of an infected person and causes diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. About 58 percent of public pools tested positive for fecal bacteria, the CDC found. Chlorine can’t quickly kill the parasite, which can dwell for days in the water.